The Morehead State men's basketball team knocked down 9-of-12 from three-point range in the first half and led from start to finish in a 66-63 Ohio Valley Conference win over Jacksonville State on Saturday evening at Mathews Coliseum.
The Eagles improve to 9-13 overall, 4-3 in league play and 5-7 on the road, while the Gamecocks slip to 9-13 overall, 2-6 in conference action and 8-3 at home. Morehead State also improves to 20-8 in the all-time series with its fourth straight victory over Jacksonville State.
"We talk about finding a way to win on the road, and that's what we did tonight," Head Coach Sean Woods said. "I thought we were pretty solid throughout the game, but made it interesting down the stretch with some poor shots and turnovers on important possessions."
Morehead State drained 2-of-4 three-point attempts after intermission to finish at 69 percent. The 11 long-range buckets marked MSU's best effort since drilling 17 on Dec. 19, 2013. The Eagles began the day shooting 34 percent from three-point land, which ranked eighth in the league.
"We needed every three-pointer we hit to get this victory," Woods said. "We knew Jacksonville State was playing pretty good basketball, especially at home. I think we started to relax when we pushed the lead to double figures, and our guys will learn that you can't do that at this level."
Sophomore Corban Collins paced four double-figure Eagles with 16 points. Senior Angelo Warner added 15, while junior Brent Arrington contributed 14 and senior Kareem Storey tossed in 13. Collins also tallied a game-high eight rebounds, while Warner posted a game-best five assists.
Collins knocked down 5-of-6 from the field, 4-of-4 from three-point distance and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Warner connected on 3-of-7 from the floor, 3-of-4 from long range and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. The duo had 25 points at halftime on 7-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Morehead State split the nets on 46 percent (19-of-41) overall and 85 percent (17-of-20) from the foul line to overcome a 17-turnover night. The Eagles managed advantages of 31-25 in rebounds, 15-9 in assists, 11-3 in three-point baskets and 33-9 in points from long distance.
"Our defense has been pretty solid most of the season, and I feel like our offense is beginning to come around," Woods said. "Our offensive efficiency was much better on this road trip. We also rebounded the basketball well, despite playing four and five guards at times."
The Eagles never trailed. The game was tied with 39 seconds to play, but Jacksonville State couldn't get over the hump. MSU's biggest advantage of 12 points came with 2:42 on the first-half timer.
Senior Darion Rackley was limited to 3-of-13 from the field, but made 10-of-11 from the charity stripe to finish with a team-best 16 points for Jacksonville State. He also collected a game-best four steals. The Gamecocks had a 26-14 scoring advantage in the paint and 18-12 edge in points off turnovers.
MSU also swept the Tennessee Tech-Jacksonville State trip, in the opposite order, last season. Those decisions capped four consecutive road wins en route to a 9-7 record in that category.
The Eagles wrap up their three-game OVC trip on Wednesday at Austin Peay. Tip-off from the Dunn Center is set for 8 p.m.
"We are back in the OVC race, which is where we want to be," Woods added. "I think we've gotten better this month because we've been able to practice. We need to get home, get some rest and begin our prep for an Austin Peay team that just knocked off Eastern Illinois."
